Second Week of Advent Leader 1: Leader 1: Welcome. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today we light two candles for the second week of Advent. Again, they symbolize our longing, our desire, and our hope. Remember the three "advents" or "comings"? We want to recall that Jesus came in the past to save us from our sin and death. We want to experience his coming to us now, in our everyday lives. And we want to prepare for his coming to meet us at the end of our lives on this earth. Leader 2: Song: Leader 3: Leader 1: When we woke up, each day this past week, did we light that candle in our hearts, taking a few moments to focus on God, thanking him for today and for sending his Son? Let s continue to try that this coming week. Light the Advent Candle (vs.2) Entrance Antiphon: Please repeat each line after me: People of Zion, the Lord will come to save all nations and your hearts will exult to hear his voice. Let us pray, in Advent time for the coming Savior to teach us wisdom Father in heaven, the day draws near when the glory of your Son will make radiant the night of the waiting world. May the lure of greed not impede us from the joy which moves the hearts of those who seek him. May the darkness not blind us to the vision of wisdom which fills the minds of those who find him. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen 1
Leader 1: A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (Is 11:1-10) On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God Reflection: (Refer to the picture for today and comment as you wish.) We begin this second week of our Advent journey with this vivid proclamation of the end of violence and a promise of justice and peace. The prophets use such wonderful images to tell the people that they could expect and hope for a day when "every tear would be wiped away." It will be a day of great peace - "the lion would lie down with the lamb" and the people will beat their spears into hooks to prune trees with. Weapons of war will be turned into tools of food production. And, the most unbelievable promise of all: "death will be no more." In our world today, we welcome this message with eager anticipation. Let us experience today what it will be like to be freed from the power of injustice, conflict and division. Our longing, our desire is that we might be set free. In biblical times, this was what the people longed for in a king. David, the son of Jesse, was chosen by God and anointed this way by the prophet Samuel. He was the greatest king in Israel, but still could not bring the kind of peace everyone hoped for. The way they made someone a king was to pour oil on their head. The one who was "anointed" this way with oil became the king. David had been anointed this way. But the prophets, especially Isaiah, also began to tell the people that God would send them "an anointed one" (the word they use to say "anointed one" in Hebrew is "Messiah.") In fact, they said that this Messiah would be called "Emmanuel", which in Hebrew means, "God is with us." This person would spring from the line of Jesse, but would save people from sin and death. 2
We all know now that what God was preparing his people for was the coming of Jesus, the Christ (Christos in Greek means "the anointed one.") Leader 2: I To the Lord Jesus Christ, judge of the living dead, let us pray: Come, Lord Jesus! Reader 1: Reader 2: Reader 3: Reader 4: Leader 1: Leader 2: Leader 3: Song: Lord Jesus, you came to save sinners, protect us in times of temptation. Come, Lord Jesus! You will come in glory to be our judge, show us your power to save. Come, Lord Jesus! Help us to keep your law with the strength of the Spirit, and to look forward in love to your coming. Come, Lord Jesus! You are praised throughout the ages; in your mercy help us to live good and holy lives, as we wait in joyful hope for your glory to be revealed. Come, Lord Jesus! Let us together pray the Lord s Prayer. Our Father Dear Lord, through the darkness, we look for your wisdom. We want our hearts to be open to you. But sometimes in these days, it seems that so many things come between us. Help us to be awake and aware of the radiance you bring to our lives. Help us to be grateful each day for the blessings of family and friends. Let us be peacemakers in our own lives and in the world. Let us pray especially for this difficult world And for those who are so much in need of an end to violence. Our hearts beg for this as our Advent prayer today. Amen. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. Prepare Ye the Way 3
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May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him. Romans 15:13a 6
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